Air inlet for nursing bottles



5 3, 1956 A. E. ROBINSON RJSFJMW AIR INLET FOR NURSING BOTTLES Filed Jan. 21, 1954 Unite rates This invention relates to nursing bottles and, more particularly, has reference to a valve adapted for removable insertion in a suitable opening formed in the bottom of an infants nursing bottle, which valve will be adapted to shift to an open position automatically whenever air is needed within the bottle to permit the easy flow of the milk or other liquid through the nipple of the bottle.

It is well known that on many occasions, due to partial exhaustion of the contents of a nursing bottle, a partial vacuum forms within the bottle, preventing the milk or other liquid from flowing, to the resultant annoyance of the infant.

The present invention has, accordingly, as its main object the provision of a generally improved one-way or check valve adapted to be mounted in the bottom of a generally conventional nursing bottle, and so designed as to shift automatically to an open position whenever a partial vacuum tends to form within the bottle, thus to permit air to enter the bottle through the valve, for the continued easy fiow of liquid from the bottle.

Another object of importance is to provide a valve of the type stated which will be removable from the bottle in its entirety, thus to permit the valve and bottle to be sterilized separately if desired.

A further object of importance is to provide a valve of the type referred to which will be so designed as to facilitate the cleaning of the interior parts thereof, the valve being simply formed in a manner that will reduce to a minimum crevices or other relatively inaccessible locations within which particles might tend to lodge.

A further object of importance is to provide a valve as stated which will be equipped with a removable plug that is adapted, when inserted in the body of the valve, to insure positively against leakage from the bottle while the bottle is being warmed or is being taken to the infant.

Yet another object is to provide a vent valve of the nature described which will be capable of manufacture at a relatively low cost, thus to allow its incorporation in generally conventional nursing bottle construction without material increase in the basic cost of said construction.

Yet another object is to porvide a vent valve as stated having a floating valve stem which will normally gravitate to an open position in which air can be admitted to the interior of the bottle, when the bottle is tilted nipple end down, said floating stem normally shifting to a closed position when the bottle is oppositely tilted with its nipple end up. By reason of this arrangement, it is proposed to so design the valve as to cause it to normally shift to open position when the bottle is being supported by the infant or by a suitable holder while the infant is feeding therefrom, with the valve usually closing when the bottle is discarded by the infant.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claim in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

atent 1 "ice In the accompanying drawings forming a. material part of this disclosure:

Fig. 1 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in longitudinal section of a nursing bottle equipped with a vent valve formed in accordance with the present invention, the valve being shown in side elevation.

Fig. 2 is an end elevational view of the bottle and valve, taken from the right of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view taken substantially on line 3-3 of Fig. l, the dotted lines indicating the open position of the valve.

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view on. line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view on line 55 of Fig. 3.

Fig.6 is an end elevational view of the valve per se, taken from the left of Fig. 3.

The reference numeral 10 has been applied generally in the several figures of the drawing to a nursing bottle, the reference numeral 12 being similarly applied to the vent valve constituting the present invention. The bottle 10 is provided with the usual transparent glass or plastic body 14, one end of which has a mouth on which is threaded a cap 16 having thereon the nipple 18. These parts are conventional per se and do not constitute part of the present invention.

The bottle body has, at that end thereof remote from the mouth of the bottle, a concave bottom 20, in accordance with the present invention, a center opening 22 is formed in said bottom or end wall 20.

The vent valve constituting the present invention includes a body 24 formed, preferably, of a soft resilient material such as rubber. The body 24, at one end, is externally tapered, the body being integrally formed, at the base of said tapered portion, with a circumferential shoulder 26 adapted to abut against the outer surface of the end Wall 20 of the bottle when the valve is inserted in proper position within the opening 22. In this connection, the diameter of the base end of the tapered portion of the body 24 is such as to cause the body to engage tightly within the opening 22, thus to prevent leakage past the body in the inserted position thereof.

The other end portion of the body, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, is cylindrically formed as at 28, the cylindrical portion 28 being disposed exteriorly of the bottle when the device is in use and being substantially shorter in length than the tapered portion. Within the tapered portion an axial bore 3t) is formed, said bore 30 merging at the location of the shoulder 26 into a counterbore 32, the counterbore extending the length of the cylindrical portion 28.

A plug 34 is adapted to be removably engaged in the counterbore 32, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The plug 34 can be inserted Whenever the bottle is being warmed preliminary to use. Or, the plug can be kept in the cylindrical portion 28 while the bottle is being carried to the infant. Still further, if it is not desired to use the vent valve, the plug can be left in place while the infant is feeding from the bottle.

Normally, however, when the bottle is given to the infant, the plug 34 is removed as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, thus permitting air to enter the counterbore 32 for passage into bore 30.

Tightly fitted within the bore is a metallic sleeve 36, one end of said sleeve being provided with a circumferential lip 33, the lip 38 engaging against the smaller end of the tapered portion of body as, as shown in Fig. 3. Sleeve 36 is formed with an axial bore 4t extending from end to end of an opening upon the opposite ends of the sleeve, a valve stem 42 being extended within the bore 4%. The valve stem 452 is formed to a diameter distinctly less than that of the bore, thus to permit the passage of air past the valve stem within the bore 40 when the device is in use.

At one end, the stem 42 is integrally or otherwise made rigid with a dome-like head 44, the head 44 being disposed within the bottle when the device is in use, as best shown in Fig. 1.

Adjacent its other end, stem 42 is integrally formed with a circumferential abutment or collar 46, said collar being disposed in spaced relation to the adjacent end of the sleeve 36 when the head 44 is engaged against the other end of said sleeve (see the full line position of Fig. 3). The end of the sleeve 36 adjacent the collar 46 is formed with circumferentially spaced, radially extending notches or recesses 48 (Fig. 4), said notches communicating with the bore 40.

When the device is in use, the tilting of the bottle nipple end down will cause the floating valve stem 42 to shift to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 3. As a result, the collar 46 will engage against the recessed or notched end of the sleeve 36. The collar 46, however, is formed to a diameter substantially less than that of the bore 30 (Figs. 3 and 5). As a result, air will flow past the collar 46, the air passing about the periphery of the collar and moving into the notches or recesses 48. Thereafter, the air will pass through the bore 40, and since the head 44 is at this time spaced away from the shouldered end of sleeve 36, the air will flow into the bottle to relieve any partial vacuum which might tend otherwise to form in said bottle.

It will be understood, of course, that when the bottle is oppositely tilted, with the nipple end up, the valve stem will shift to the full line position shown in Fig. 3, in which position the head 44 will prevent milk from flowing out through the valve.

The device can, of course, be removed entirely if it is not desired to use the same, and in such instances a cork or stopper could be inserted in the opening 22. It is proposed, in this regard, that in a commercial embodiment of the invention, the stopper 34 might be of such a size as to be engageable either directly in the opening 22, or in the counterbore 32, whichever is desired. The stopper 34 could thus be used Whenever the air vent valve is not to be employed, and when the air vent valve is to be placed in use, the stopper 34 can be used in the manner shown in Fig. 3, to prevent any accidental flow of milk out of the device, preliminary to giving of the bottle to the infant.

Further, it is considered to be an important characteristic of the invention that the entire device can be removed bodily from the opening 22, to facilitate sterilizing of the bottle, as well as separate cleaning of the valve itself. In this connection, the valve is formed in such a manner as to be substantially free of crevices or other relatively inaccessible locations in which particles might otherwise tend to lodge.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise construction herein disclosed and the right is reserved to all changes and modifications coming within the scope of the inventon as defined in the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

The combination with an infants nursing bottle hav- 3 ing a concaved bottom provided with a central opening therein, of an elongated rubber body plugged into said opening, said body having a cylindrical portion at one end and a tapered portion at the other end, said body having a central bore extending through said portions, said bore being counterbored in the cylindrical portion, an annular shoulder on the body at the juncture of the cylindrical and tapered portions for seating on the concaved bottom around said opening for sealing the same, said cylindrical portion and said shoulder being housed by the concaved bottom of the bottle, a removable plug in the outer end of the counterbore in the cylindrical portion, a sleeve in the bore at the tapered portion of the body, a circumferential circular lip on the outer end of the sleeve seated on the outer surface of the tapered portion, the inner end surface of the sleeve being formed with radial notches thereon, and a floating valve closing the opening in the sleeve at the end of the tapered portion of the body, said valve including a stem extending through the sleeve, a collar carried at the inner end of the stem adapted to engage the inner notched surface of the sleeve whereby outer movement of the valve is limited and whereby air circulates around the stem, and a circular head on the outer end of the stem for sealing the outer end of the opening the sleeve.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 533,726 McBride Feb. 5, 1895 660,654 Pingel Oct. 30, 1900 1,653,818 Nagel Dec. 27, 1927 1,694,754 Porter Dec. 11, 1928 1,732,126 Gardner Oct. 15, 1929 2,370,535 Harrison Feb. 27, 1945 2,608,841 Rice Sept. 2, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 19,816 Great Britain 1891 21,177 Great Britain Aug. 2, 1905 

